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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. ? A Westchester law enforcement organization said it will hold
The Journal News
responsible for any crimes against its members stemming from publication of the names of gun license-holders in Westchester and Rockland counties

The newspaper put active and retired law enforcement officers and their families in "grave and immediate danger," along with the others on the list, the Affiliated Police Association said in a news release Friday. The group is an umbrella organization for 53 law enforcement groups in the region.

On Dec. 24,
The Journal News
published an interactive map showing both names and addresses of gun permit-holders in the two counties.

The Affiliated Police Association says it will ask the newspaper to remove the interactive map from its website and stop any efforts to obtain the names of legal gun owners in other counties.

“The Affiliated Police Association is putting The Journal News on notice that we will hold them accountable for any incident where any of our members are involved in an incident where a person, criminal or ex-con presents themselves at the residence of one of our members as a result of their name being made public by The Journal News," Robert Buckley, vice president of the organization, said in the release.

Richard Well, president of the
Police Conference of New York
, will ask that all county clerks deny requests for such records, which he said is allowable if it would endanger the life and safety of any person, the release said.

"We also urge The Journal News to cease its quest to obtain and publish this information," Well said in the release. "It serves no legitimate purpose and could easily lead to more tragedy.”

The Affiliated Police Association (APA) of Westchester County Inc. said it will hold a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 15, in White Plains to publicly state its position. The new conference will take place at the Westchester County Courthouse, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.